The present invention relates to the field of urine disposal devices. Incontinent persons, persons confined to wheelchairs, and similarly challenged persons face tremendous obstacles in trying to safely and efficiently dispose of urine. Typically, after such an individual urinates into a leg bag or similar container, the bag is either dumped directly onto the ground or disposed of by an attendant. In nursing homes and other care facilities, incontinent persons are often dependent upon an attendant to empty their leg bags and bed bags. Understandably, attendants in such facilities are frequently less than enthusiastic in disposing of urine. It is highly desirable to provide a system that decreases the amount of attendant care required by incontinent persons, eliminates the risk of contamination from AIDS or other communicable diseases to attendants working with said individuals, and to increase the level of independence for incontinent individuals that would otherwise require attendant care.
Prior art devices have not adequately addressed the above concerns. In Rickard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,280, a hand-held urinal and remote flush system comprising a portable bottle and a complementary water closet was disclosed. The Rickard invention does not eliminate the need for an attendant to transport the portable bottle to the complementary water closet. The present invention can be placed on the floor near the person's bed such that a leg bag or bed bag can be drained directly into the device which disposes of the urine without requiring further intervention. Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,650 discloses a disposal device for wheelchairs that permits persons confined to chairs to empty the contents of their leg bags into a drain located on the floor. Miller does not address the automatic disposal of the urine once it has been drained from the leg bag. Miller is seen as complementary to the present invention. By providing for a functional toilet only 4" in height, the present invention provides the ideal "floor drain" as described in Miller. Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,061 disclosed an automatic urine detecting, collecting and storing device. Martin is not addressed to the efficient disposal of the urine once it has been collected. In addition, by requiring incontinent persons to be attached to an large piece of machinery, Martin decreased, rather than increased, said persons independence. By also describing a system containing liquid sensors driven by an electrical circuit in close proximity to the person's urethra, Martin had considerable safety concerns. Elkins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,727, disclosed a portable toilet that is only tangentially related to the present invention in that Elkins is not designed for use by bed-ridden or chair-confined persons.
The present invention provides a method that enables any person unable to use a conventional toilet or urinal to safely and efficiently dispose of urine. The system comprises a shallow, funnel-like basin which contains a fresh water reservoir. The lower end of the basin funnels into a housing for a submerged electro-mechanical fluid pump. The pump is automatically activated by a sensor. When urine is drained from a leg bag or bed bag into the fresh water reservoir of the device, the sensor senses the addition of fluid to the reservoir. The sensor activates the pump which starts pumping fluids into an external sewer or septic system. The device then allows clean water to flow into itself, which washes the basin and replenishes fresh water in the reservoir. Preferably the device will have a self-contained safety sensor capable of overriding the water input into the reservoir.